Mullaney sisters lead Penncrest girls soccer into states

WORCESTER >> It was a little freshman exuberance that broke the façade and set off a round of the giggles.

Penncrest’s midfield Mullaney trio — senior Kat, sophomore Julia and freshman Kara — was describing its division of labor in the middle of the park, when Kara was asked what it was like to learn the ropes of varsity soccer with two older sisters behind her. With a sheepish look toward Kat, she summoned her truth.

“It’s great,” Kara said. “If someone’s like roughing me up a lot, I know (Kat) will have my back and hit them back. … She scares the other players away, kind of.”

The laughs reverberating around the trio reflected yet another instance of all three being on the same page — in perception at least, if not in when to share those revelations.

Jokes aside, the continuity the Mullaneys have brought to the Penncrest midfield is a big reason behind the Lions’ return trip to the District 1 Class 3A final and the PIAA Tournament, which they kick off Tuesday at Hamburg Area High School against District 3 champion Fleetwood (7 p.m.).

Just as their off-field personas flow seamlessly from one to another, so too do their on-field sensibilities. Kara, as the newcomer, has the lightest defensive load, a more attack-minded player usually deployed at the point of a fluid midfield triangle in the Penncrest 4-3-3. She’s scored three goals in her last 10 games, including a marker in the district quarterfinal win over Sun Valley. The quiet freshman has adapted well to playing off the shoulder of high-scoring forward Corryn Gamber, embracing a list of duties that includes distributing the imposing Gamber’s hold-up play to the active winger corps.

Julia is a consummate defensive midfielder most at home as a shield to the back four. When games get stretched, Julia is most likely to hover near the defense to tidily cut out passes and be physical with opposing attackers, letting her sisters float in the resulting midfield space.

“I really enjoy it because I’m naturally defensively minded,” Julia said. “It’s just something that’s comfortable for me. I guess it’s something natural for me. I don’t like to attack as much, so it comes natural.”

And Kat is more of a hybrid whose main function in the center of the park is as the conduit from defense to attack, charged with seeing the field in possession and getting the overlapping wide players involved.

The feistiest of the Mullaneys (and probably the entire roster), she’s also not shy about leaping vigorously into challenges, as Kara hinted.

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Penncrest’s Katharine Mullaney (13) duels with Pope John Paul II’s Kyla Mesaros for a loose ball in the District 1 playoffs. (Digital First Media/Pete Bannan)